Any owners of 3 to 4 cats (meow!) here?

[zhuzhu]

DH and I have 2 adult male cats, 12 and 7 years old. He adores kitties and is thinking about getting another one this holiday. We went to our local Petco today and saw two kitties of the same litter up for adoption, one female and one male, both 5 months old. I have fallen for the female baby, but DH says he will feel bad to separate her from her brother and wants to get them both!

Could you share your experience with us as in how different it is to have 2 cats, versus 3 or even 4 in the same house? Is it a lot more work involved? Do cats hate sharing their home with kittens?

Also, do you also think it is better to take both the girl and boy, instead of just the girl alone?

Thanks!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 12/4/2008 3:38:57 AM
Author:zhuzhu
DH and I have 2 adult male cats, 12 and 7 years old. He adores kitties and is thinking about getting another one this holiday. We went to our local Petco today and saw two kitties of the same litter up for adoption, one female and one male, both 5 months old. I have fallen for the female baby, but DH says he will feel bad to separate her from her brother and wants to get them both!

Could you share your experience with us as in how different it is to have 2 cats, versus 3 or even 4 in the same house? Is it a lot more work involved? Do cats hate sharing their home with kittens?

Also, do you also think it is better to take both the girl and boy, instead of just the girl alone?

Thanks!

Oh Zhuzhu, I can understand your dilemma!!! I only have Boo, so I can''t speak personally for having multiple kitties, but my sister had two and then found a stray and kept her, and said it wasn''t any more work at all to have 3 cats. A little more food, a little more litter (and scooping!

) but that baby she found is delightful and the rewards and joy were hundred-fold! I can''t speak for 4 cats... but my humble opinion (since you asked!) is this: since DH is so supportive, and if you feel you have the room in your home and the resources to care for two more kitties... I''d say get them both! What a GIFT for them to be able to stay together! AAAAAND, if the older kitties kinda pair off (which can sometimes happen), the new babies have each other, too! Maybe it''s like kids... an even number is always better because it avoids the poor "odd man out" syndrome!!!

Please keep us posted!

 

[Lorelei]

I have 5 indoor cats and they really aren''t any more work or trouble than one or two! I would get both, older cats usually take to youngsters more easily than new adults, and you will be so happy giving them both a home and watching them grow and play together and with their big siblings!!

 

[iheartscience]

I have 3 kitties! We had 2 for several years but I fell in love with my newest girl, Ophelia, after my sister made me visit her at a Petsmart, so I got her. It really wasn''t much different from 2 except for the litter box. I now have 2 litter boxes that the 3 of them use and that helped a lot.

And before my fiance moved in with me I lived with a roommate who had 2 cats, so we had 4 total. It was totally fine. We have a pretty big apartment and there was plenty of room for all of them. I say go for it! And post lots of pictures, obviously!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Hi Zhuzhu!

I have three cats now, but had as many as seven together while growing up!! When we had seven, three were siblings (our neighbor's cat was not spayed, so she would come over to our house because I would feed her, and her three little kittens would follow her across the street!!) They were little puffs of fur and we kept them all and had the momma cat spayed too, and adopted her as well. Those kittens always cuddled and snuggled together. They had a very special bond!

There is really no extra work, just a little extra litter to deal with.

I think you should adopt both kittens! It is fun to watch them grow up together!!

BTW, Congratulations on hitting 1,000 posts recently!!

 

[Matata]

I got my 3rd 2 weeks ago. Always had 2. Three are a teensy bit more work and a zillion times more love. It''s worth it.

 

[movie zombie]

i have had up to 9 indoor cats at one time and due to health issues now merely have 5. i''d love to have more but given the age and continuing health issues associated with age and disease, i probably won''t be adding to the cattery. all my cats have been strays or from a no-kill shelter environment. it companionship between the bro and sis will be wonderful to watch and will make adjustment into your household easier as they will have each other. go for it!

movie zombie

 

[zhuzhu]

You are all so sweet!
I showed your replies to DH and he said "see? they agree with me. It will be mean to not take them both".

Well I guess I will have pictures of little hurry balls to show when the application is approved!

Thanks, PS cat lovers!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/4/2008 1:31:27 PM
Author: zhuzhu
You are all so sweet!
I showed your replies to DH and he said ''see? they agree with me. It will be mean to not take them both''.

Well I guess I will have pictures of little hurry balls to show when the application is approved!

Thanks, PS cat lovers!

YAY!!!

 

[movie zombie]

love fur ball pictures!

movie zombie

 

[Cind11]

We have four kitties. When we got the 3rd, it really didn''t seem like have much more than two did. After we got kitty no. 4, it did seem like more. I think mostly because of the litter boxes. There is a lot more,umm, "matter" in them-lol. But I love having my boys. Probably in the future though, I''d stick to three. But if I was you, I couldn''t separate those two babies, so I''d take both! Have fun!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Yay!!!

 

[Haven]

Date: 12/4/2008 11:29:10 AM
Author: Matata
Three are a teensy bit more work and a zillion times more love. It''s worth it.

Ditto.

We have three kitties now, we had four until we lost Bootsie not too long ago. It''s not much more work at all once you have two. In fact, growing up we always had three or four cats, my mom always said "Why not save a few more, it''s not like it''s any more work once you have two already."

GET THOSE FURBABIES! They need a loving home. And then come and post pictures.

 

[spike13]

I have 4 cats. One is 9. When his buddy died who was 18, we got a new kitten. The kitten ran our poor older kitty to the ground. So when he was about 9 months old we decided to get another kitten. AS chance would have it we were in the nearly the same situation as you. So we ended up getting 2 new kittens.

It was the best choice. The kittens play with each other so they don''t bother our 9 year old except to snuggle with him after they''re done playing. Our 9 month year old has his hands full with the younger kittens, so he doesn''t harass our old guy either.

In your case, I would definitely get the pair. One kitten is going to want to play and your older kitties might not have the energy for all that running around.

It''s more work in terms of the cat box, but they bring so much joy to our house it was definitely worth it. I don''t think I''d ever have ""unmatched" kitties again. The boys are happier than they''ve ever been!!!

 

[AmberGretchen]

I''m late to this thread but we have 3 kitties and I''m so glad to see that you decided to rescue both of these babies. What a wonderful gift for them at the holidays - a new, loving, forever home.

I''m sure they''ll be a wonderful addition to your family

Also, I''m sure you know this, but do be careful to introduce them to your current kitties slowly and gradually - that''s the key determinant of success in situations like this, and you''ll be very glad you did.

Can''t wait to see pictures!!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

ooops, I posted a long post and then realized you adopted the cats. Congrats! Hopefully all the cats get along. I had five at one point and ended up adopting out three of them! I loved them all, but the cats fought like crazy. Between them and my two boys, I almost lost my mind!

Oh, and you probably know this, but be sure to get a 2nd litter box.

 

[zhuzhu]

We are still working on the adoption, so fingers crossed....
We are already using 3 litter boxes for 2 adult cats.. (yes we are lazy-litter-box people)..

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 12/5/2008 1:23:04 PM
Author: zhuzhu
We are still working on the adoption, so fingers crossed....
We are already using 3 litter boxes for 2 adult cats.. (yes we are lazy-litter-box people)..

So are we. You didn''t mention if you live in a house/apt/condo. If the cats can go outside that will help a bit (hopefully) but with my cats roaming on 1 acre, they still "went" inside. Now, we still have two liter boxes and both cats use the same one. lol

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/4/2008 4:13:28 PM
Author: Haven

Date: 12/4/2008 11:29:10 AM
Author: Matata
Three are a teensy bit more work and a zillion times more love. It''s worth it.

Ditto.

We have three kitties now, we had four until we lost Bootsie not too long ago. It''s not much more work at all once you have two. In fact, growing up we always had three or four cats, my mom always said ''Why not save a few more, it''s not like it''s any more work once you have two already.''

GET THOSE FURBABIES! They need a loving home. And then come and post pictures.

And that is my philosophy!

 

[that_someone_special]

I have two kitties, and BF has two kitties. They will be offically living together Feb 1st

But, since Bf and I live pretty close together, I sometimes bring my babies there for the weekend or whatever (crazy cat lady).

Honestly? It''s just more poop. If you stay on top of the poop, get them fixed... It really isn''t that much work, plus you get the love of more kitties!

A few years ago, I rescued a kitty (for my aunt). She only wanted one. There were two kitties left, a boy and a girl and it BROKE MY HEART that I couldn''t save them both. Uhhhh.. I completely agree on getting them both.

 

[that_someone_special]

Lol my kitty excitment made me skip replies and post.. hehehe.. sorry..

 

[Haven]

Fingers crossed for you, zhuzhu!

We always have one more litter box than we have kitties, so 4 boxes for 3 cats. That''s what our vet recommends. Hubby cleans ''em twice a day, though, he''s very concerned about their comfort levels. (He also bought them a Hammacher Schlemmer water fountain because he didn''t like the idea of them drinking stagnant water. He''s a bit over-the-top, but it''s because he loves them so darn much.)

Can''t wait for you to get your kitties!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Hello everybody! Yes, I think I am back. It has been a long year.

In any case, re the cats . . .

We had 4 cats [3 cats and a simaese, actually]. The siamese and one other are going on 16 years of age. The other two, brothers, are going on 13.

My daughter, who is 20 and lives away at college, got two half siamese kittens when she shared an apartment last summer [they look just like our older siamese - quite cool]. I will spare you the details - but, long story short . . . we now have 6 cats [as of September]. Sigh . . . The two kittens are now 7 months and are absolutely adorable [devil] cats. They are knocking things over that I didn't even remember I owned! And, the Christmas tree . . . forget it! But I wouldn't trade them for the world. My husband doesn't know this, but I am not too keen on giving them back to my daughter. I think I want to keep them for myself.

In any case, once you have one cat or more, the marginal trouble of a couple of more is not large. Also, I would never separate the siblings. DD's cats had been separated before I had to retrieve them and I could not imagine them apart.

If you are going to get one, then get both. You won't regret it. They will provide more entertainment for you and cameraderie for each other.

D.

PS The two make 13 year olds have accepted the kittend well. The siamese occasionaly hisses at them and the other 16 year old is the least pleasant of the bunch. But it is no big deal.

ETA I just skimmed the thread now and I see you are getting both kitties! Good for you! Make sure you post pics!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 12/5/2008 2:10:09 PM
Author: Haven
We always have one more litter box than we have kitties, so 4 boxes for 3 cats. That's what our vet recommends. Hubby cleans 'em twice a day, though, he's very concerned about their comfort levels. (He also bought them a Hammacher Schlemmer water fountain because he didn't like the idea of them drinking stagnant water. He's a bit over-the-top, but it's because he loves them so darn much.)

My cats like to drink fresh water from the tub. Everytime I go into the bathroom, one of them races up behind me and pushes his/her noise in through the door and climbes into the bathtub and stares at me till I turn on the faucet.

ETA - Welcome back,DiamanteBlue. Hopefully I'm not offending - and I say the following with humor - but six cats is insane. That would drive me to the breaking point. When we had five, they all would keep us up at night with meowing outside the door, growling at one another, OR laying on the bed and then jumping off THEN climbing back on, etc. Possibly the cats we've owned have been more rambunctious than the average feline. Maybe they all needed kitty prozac.

Oh, sorry if my font looks bold. It's not meant to and I can't seem to unbold it.

 

[decodelighted]

We have four cats ... DH came with two boys & I had two girls ... PLUS we have a dog. I can''t say I''d recommend it but, then again, I am *not* a "cat person"

.

The "got to get two litter mates" is how I have two ... the foster mom TOTALLY talked me into taking both after I''d fallen for one from a pix on Petfinders. (They''ll groom each other, They''ll keep each other company!) Later I learned that there''s mixed advice about adopting litter mates -- sometimes they bond better with each other than then do to YOU -- and sometimes if one''s personality is dominant, that dynamic stays in place for life -- where if you adopt the shy one only, they could blossom.

As far as work & expense -- I can say that Four is a LOT more than Two ... especially the litter costs & the food for DH''s cats who are 2x larger than mine.

Plus the darn Vet expenses. OMG.

I dunno. If you have the $$ & love & patience to give then it is a MARVELOUS THING!!! I don''t think we''ll be getting any more cats EVER. Dogs: please sir I''ll have some''more.

 

[Haven]

deco--Wwell, when you have a dog as adorable as your Tallulah it''s hard not to adopt loads more!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I was not planning to get any more cats. I was half-thinking . . . hmmmm . . . 2 at 16, 2 at 13 . . . in x years I will be able to do what I want [eg travel and live elsewhere for various periods] without having to worry about the beasts . . . Sigh . . .

They are soooo cute, though!

 

[zhuzhu]

It''s me again! So I found out that the organization we will be adopting from is call The Rescue House. Is this organization a reputable one?

 

[Gypsy]

I've got three, had four (kinda)... was back to three... and now have a fourth I'm fostering cause I can't have her.

My first was a male, Duncan, who is... I'd say is ambilvalent toward the presence or absence of other cats NOW. But at first, we thought he was lonely... then he beat the crud out of the kitten Frodo, we brought home, then they were the best of friends, now he tolerates him. When we got the other two (both females) after Frodo he didn't raise a whisker. My second was Frodo (the one who Duncan beat the snot out of in the 2 seconds it took us to get them away from each other... this was after several meet and greets and supervised visits), who LOVES and adores other cats. He was just SO HAPPY to have the ladies added. My third is my female, Hally, who is the reason I really can't have a fourth. The original fourth was the cat FMIL adopted, who became ours, then we had to leave with FMIL (who loves and adores her and has spend several thousand dollars helping to get over her trauma, I kid you not) because Hally tortured her. Now I'm fostering a female stray we took in in our spare bedroom, who I can't have because of what Hally would to to her (or vice versa, she's a feisty lady), who I have had no luck in adopting out.

Okay... so what was the point of that? They are individuals. All of them. Personally, I'm of the opinion that you don't know how they are going to react to any given situation unless you see them (individually) in those situations. I do think that two kittens at the same time could be overwelming for your resident cats, but then again... the two of them might stick togther and bug each other and leave the resident cats alone more than just one lone kitten would. You never know. But you are doing a great thing. All of mine are rescues too.

As to costs. The vet is the biggest difference, honestly. The rest is a wash. Going from 3 to 4 to 3 to 4 again we didn't see an appreciable difference in costs of food an litter (though there is a difference, the dry food and litter run out a little quicker), but the vet bills... yeah, that's where the difference is. PET insurance. Especially if you are getting kittens as it's cheap for them.


Good luck, and keep us updated... and with pics too!

 

[Babyblue033]

I always recommend adopting a pair of kittens, but in your particular case I would STRONGLY recommend you adopt the pair together. That way the kittens'' high energy will be focused on each other and will be less bothersome to your older cats.

As for the work involved in having 4 cats? I started out with a pair over 5 years ago and now live with SEVEN so I think I may be just a little biased